MONTRÉAL, April 18, 2019 /CNW
Telbec/ - Bell today welcomed the decision by the Canadian
Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to issue
a mandatory order to Quebecor prohibiting the broadcaster from
denying its TVA Sports channel to Bell TV customers.
Quebecor faces serious penalties if it ignores
order
Because the CRTC also registered its order with the
Federal Court, Quebecor could be held in contempt of court if it
decides to again ignore the CRTC's directives. Additionally, the
CRTC advised Quebecor that it will automatically suspend its
broadcast licence if it breaches the order.
"The CRTC has made clear that broadcasters must follow the law
and that reckless and unfair actions like Quebecor's will lead to
very negative outcomes," said Martine
Turcotte, Bell's Vice Chair, Québec. "Taking TV viewers
hostage by unilaterally cutting off service is not the way to
change regulations you don't like."
Origins of the dispute
The dispute stems from
negotiations between Bell and Quebecor over pricing for a range of
specialty TV channels. As part of the negotiations, Quebecor
demanded that Bell pay more to access its TVA Sports channel than
Quebecor would pay for Bell Media's RDS sports network.
However, RDS is a far more popular French-language sports
channel with 67% more viewers in 2018 than TVA Sports, according to
industry-standard Numeris audience measurement.
Quebecor's illegal actions
In addition to cutting off
TVA Sports service, Quebecor also made a series of misleading
statements that falsely claimed Bell itself planned to remove
access to TVA Sports, and directed Bell TV customers to switch to
Quebecor's Videotron cable TV. Quebecor then violated two CRTC
directives that stated it must follow the law and make TVA Sports
available to Bell TV customers.
Bell sought and won an injunction from the Québec Superior Court
that compelled Quebecor to reinstate the channel until April 23, enabling the CRTC to rule on the
situation and issue its mandatory order.
About Bell
Founded in Montréal in 1880, Bell is
Canada's largest communications company, providing advanced
broadband wireless, Internet, TV, media and other communication
services to consumers and business customers throughout the
country, and a proud partner of the Montreal Canadiens and their
home, the Bell Centre.
The Bell Let's Talk initiative promotes Canadian mental health
with national awareness and anti-stigma campaigns like Bell Let's
Talk Day and significant Bell funding of community care and access,
research and workplace leadership initiatives across the country.
To learn more, please visit Bell.ca/LetsTalk.
Bell is wholly owned by BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE). To learn
more, please visit Bell.ca or BCE.ca.
Media inquiries:
Caroline Audet
514-391-9794
caroline.audet@bell.ca
@Bell_News
SOURCE Bell Canada